Holiday displays having active figurines

ABSTRACT

A top or lid for carved objects; particularly, pumpkins or jack-o-lanterns is provided comprising a base sized to cover an opening, a figurine coupled to the base, a light coupled to a power source, and possibly a speaker in communication with the power source, a sound generator capable of playing scary sounds or music and an amplifier coupled to the speaker. The figurines are various animated representations such as a spider, haunted house, skeleton, witch, etc.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from application Ser. No. 60/760,502 which is incorporated herein by reference

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to holiday displays; it relates more particularly to figurines for Halloween and most particularly as a topper for carved pumpkins or other similar objects.

BACKGROUND

A popular activity around Halloween is carving pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns. Generally, this involves carving a hole, usually in the top, in a pumpkin, extracting the insides, and carving a design, such as a scary face, on at least one side surface of the pumpkin. Normally, a candle or other light source is placed inside the carved pumpkin so that the design is illuminated, and the removed portion becomes the lid for display of the newly created jack-o-lantern.

This type of jack-o-lantern suffers from disadvantages. Candles may not burn brightly or at all because of weather elements or from lack of oxygen when the lid is placed over the hole. Even if they burn brightly, the candles usually do not burn for a long time and are potential safety hazards. Other methods of illumination, such as “glow sticks”, lights, etc., may not present these problems, but they usually provide illumination for only a relatively short period of time or lack the desired effect. Moreover, the appeal for a jack-o-lantern is dependent on the carved portion and, therefore, the display is limited by the carver's talent or the shape of the pumpkin.

There remains a need for a creative display that is not dependent on the carver or the available surface and provides a better illumination option as a means of providing holiday entertainment.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a display figurine comprising a base, a sculpture or figurine coupled to the base and means for producing light, animation or sound in response to activity in proximity to the display piece. In one embodiment, a light and a speaker are coupled with an amplifier and a sound generator so that activity causes sudden lighting along with the playing of scary sounds and possibly animation. The figurine may be various animated figures such as a spider, haunted house, skeleton, witch, etc. or it could be tombstones and the like which appear to come to life. The figurines may be animated mechanically through a motor driven line or by air from a fan.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective of a display figure in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2A illustrates another figure in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2B illustrates another figure in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3A illustrates the lower surface of a base for the figure in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3B is an exploded view of the base of FIG. 3A in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic of the preferred configuration of an activation system for the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 through 2B illustrate various embodiments of figurines suitable for use in the present invention. The specific examples are present by way of explanation and are not to be considered as a limitation of the specific shape or appearance of a figurine.

With reference to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a display 2 having a base 4 and a gargoyle 6. The base includes a motion detector 8 and a touch activator 10. The motion detector 8 acts in the known manner of responding to activity within its sensing range and the touch activator allows for selective activation of the display independently of whether the motion detector 8 is active. In this embodiment the gargoyle 6 may be of rigid material, such as a plastic, or of flexible material, such as fabric which incorporates a skeletal frame to retain a general shape. The differences in the use of these constructions will be explained more fully below. In either configuration, it is preferred to have movable illuminated eyes 12 to add to the animation of the figurine.

With reference to FIG. 2A, there is illustrated another figurine usable with the present invention. In this example, it can be seen that the base 4 has a lens 18 for a light, such as a led, that provides illuminate for use in a carved object, such as a pumpkin, upon which the display is perched. The base 4 also includes legs 20 which can serve duel functions. When used in a carved pumpkin, the base 4 replaces the removed top portion and the legs 20 steady the display within the aperture. If the display is used separately, such as a center piece in a pile of candy, the legs 20 will support the display. In the figures, lens 18 is illustrated as longer than legs 20, but there is no requirement that it extend beyond the legs; however, there may be applications, such as in large pumpkin, where the ability to locate the light source deeper in the object will be desirable.

Still with reference to FIG. 2A, the base 4 defines a chamber 22 which includes the working for the activation of the figurine. In chamber 22, there is a motor 24 that winds a line 25, that may be of monofilament or light metal, connected to a shaft 26 that extends through the base 4 to the fingers 27. When motion is detected or activation is selected, the motor will wind for a predetermined distance to activate the line 25 and move the finger 27, which are mounted for articulation, as show by A-B. A spring 28 is provide to reposition the fingers, however, a double acting or reversible motor could be provided if the additional expense is acceptable for the application. With respect to the figurine, the neck 28 is provided as a billow so that the figurine can move in the direction show as X-Y. The jaw 30 is hinged for movement and the top of the skull 34 may be separated from the portion 32. Movement of the skull features may be line activated as with the fingers or the motor 25 could power a fan with which to inflate the pliable skull such as is know with holiday displays.

With reference to FIG. 2B, there is illustrated another figurine usable with the present invention. This figure illustrates a spider that permits a view of the stem 36 that provides a support for the figurine and the light source. The spider body 38 is supported by shaft 36 and the legs 40 are articulated for movement when the motor 25 is activated to wind the line 24. Although it is presently preferred to have the light depend from the shaft 36, it is not necessary and the light may be carried by the base 14, see FIG. 3A.

With reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the base includes a power switch 43 that can be selective operated to select sound, light or animation. The battery recess is electrically connected to the switch 42, for providing power to the light source 19 for downward illumination, a light source for illumination of the eyes 12, and the circuit board 50 so that features may be selected.

Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a block diagram of a circuit for implementing various features of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, the circuit includes a power supply 41, the multi-state on/off switch 42, the motion detector 8, the touch activator 10, a controller 47, a speaker 48, light-emitting diodes 43 for eyes 12, the motor 24, and the light source 19.

The speaker 48 is used to emit various sounds that may be stored in a memory in the controller 47, in a sound database 49 or in both as may fit a particular figurine. Depending on the application, such as an outdoor use, it may be desirable to also include an amplifier.

The multi-state on/off switch 42 is preferably configured to enable a user to selectively activate any combination of the features. For example, any one of three components may be activated at any time, any two of these components may be activated at any time, or all three of these components may be activated at the same time.

The motion detector 8 and the touch activator 10 are connected to controller 47. When either is triggered, the controller 47 implements the selected feature or features of the present invention. For example, the controller 47 may cause the speaker 48 to emit various sounds, the LED(s) 41 to illuminate, the motor 24 to activate such that particular mechanical functions (e.g. movement of various body parts) or activation of a fan so that the figurine is animated. For example, the gargoyle of FIG. 1 may be pliable so that air will cause slow eerie movement of the body to just hint at it being alive. The controller 47 may provide timed or intermittent activities. For example, the controller 407 may cause the eyes to be illuminated for a predetermined amount of time upon triggering of the motion detector 8, then blink and then have the figurine emit sounds.

Controller 47 may be configured to implement multiple electrical or mechanical functions in varied sequences. The controller 47 can be comprised of a processor containing a set of instructions for execution and suitable processors include both general and special purpose processors. 

1. A display comprising: a base; a figurine coupled to the base; at least one function associated with the figurine; a activator connected to the at least one function associated with the figure; and a power source that responds to the activator and implements the at least one function associated with the figure.
 2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the base includes appendages for mounting the display on a non-planar object.
 3. The invention of claim 1 wherein the figurine is support on a shaft connected to the base and the at least one function associated with the figurine is a physical movement of the figurine.
 4. The invention of claim 3 wherein the display includes functions selected from the group comprised of lighting, sound and motion.
 5. A display comprising: a base; a figurine coupled to the base; a light coupled to the base; means for activating the figurine; means for illuminating the figurine; and means for generating a sound associated with the figurine.
 6. A display topper for a jack-o-lantern comprising: a base for closing an opening in a jack-o-lantern; a figurine coupled to the base; a light source coupled to the base for illuminating the jack-o-lantern; a driver for activating the figurine; and a power source coupled to light source and the driver for activating the figurine. 